Transfer Centre

Jose Mourinho: 'Door is open for Axel Tuanzebe exit'

By Barney Corkhill, Editor | 16 January 2018

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho says that Axel Tuanzebe is the "only one" for whom the door is open to leave the club during the January transfer window.

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has said that Axel Tuanzebe is the "only one" for whom the door is open to leave the club during the January transfer window.

The possible exit of Henrikh Mkhitaryan as part of a swap deal for Alexis Sanchez has dominated the United transfer news in recent days, and Mourinho admitted that it is a possibility that the Armenia international will leave the club this month.

However, Mourinho suggested that he would actively look to secure a move away for Tuanzebe in order for the 20-year-old to gain more first-team experience due to a lack of chances at Old Trafford.

"I have a squad of 32 players and I want to keep squad of 32 players. Maybe just because I want to make the kid a good player and I'm not giving him the chances I'm giving to Scott McTominay, for example," he told reporters.

"Axel Tuanzebe plays in a position where I have so many players, today on the bench I had Marcos Rojo and Victor Lindelof, and Eric Bailly is still in recovery, so I'm not giving the chances to Axel.

"So probably Axel is the only one that I open the door for him to go and play because I believe he is a really good talent and he needs to play. Apart from that, the numbers we have, we are playing Champions League, FA Cup, Premier League, I have to keep the number of players we have."

Any exit for Tuanzebe will only be a temporary one until the end of the season, with Aston Villa understood to be interested in taking the youngster on loan.